Arizona Coyotes: Three Studs and Duds Versus STL and Vegas
By Jason Costa
Arizona Coyotes vs. St. Louis Blues
Three Studs
Lawson Crouse
Lawson Crouse is absolutely on fire in the month of November. He is arguably the NHL player of the month, generating most of the Coyotes’ offensive pressure and maintaining a stat line of 10 goals, 1 assist, 11 points, and a +/- of +2 in November. He was at it again, and seemingly involved everywhere on the ice. The offense ran through Crouse and his linemates, accounting for two of the six goals and three assists against the Blues.
The Penalty Kill
The penalty kill has been a major source of strength for the Coyotes this season and it was on display again. The unit ranks in the top 15 in the NHL, and when pressed into duty they stood firm. The Blues had three opportunities and were shut out on all three. The PK seemed to be the only time all game where the Coyotes made a defensive stand.
Matias Maccelli
Maccelli continues to impress. He continued his historic streak of scoring a point in eight straight home games, tying a franchise record. He accounted for two assists in this one, and alongside Crouse, was the driving force of the offense against the Blues.
Three Duds
The Power Play
What has typically been a strength this season was a definite weakness against the St. Louis Blues. The Coyotes’ power play was atrocious, blanking on their two opportunities and playing sloppy. So sloppy, in fact, they gave up two short-handed goals to St. Louis.
The Defensive Lineup
Much like the power play, the defensive lines were essentially nonexistent. They surrendered a ton of zone time to the Blues and were constantly on the chase. When they actually had the play in front of them, they often were out of position, leading to easy goals.
Karel Vejmelka
Vejmelka was yanked in this one after surrendering four goals on only twelve shots, including two short-handed goals. While the defense and power play did him no favors, he was completely outmatched and never seemed to settle in. This was another game this season where he has been extremely inconsistent, a stark contrast to the player we saw last year. At this rate, Ingram could be the primary goaltender sooner rather than later.